Volunteer or Intern with us!

Do you enjoy reptiles and other native wildlife? Are you passionate about conservation and helping people connect with nature? Join the Education Ambassador Animal Care Team at Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Center and help care for the incredible resident animals that educate thousands of visitors each year.

Our Education Ambassadors—including snakes, turtles, and other non-releasable native wildlife—serve an important purpose. Because they cannot return to the wild, they help teach the public about wildlife conservation, responsible stewardship, and peaceful coexistence with Tennessee’s native species.

What You’ll Do
As an Education Ambassador volunteer, you’ll help provide exceptional daily care by:

• Cleaning and sanitizing enclosures to maintain healthy habitats
• Preparing and providing species-appropriate diets and fresh water
• Creating enrichment activities that encourage natural behaviors and promote animal well-being
• Observing animal behavior and reporting any health or husbandry concerns to staff
• Following all animal care, sanitation, and safety protocols

Join the Mouse Room Care Team at Waldens Puddle Wildlife Center and play a vital role in the rehabilitation of orphaned and injured wildlife.

The mice in our care are more than just patients—they are essential to the health and recovery of many native predators. By providing exceptional daily care, you’ll directly support the rehabilitation of hawks, owls, foxes, snakes, and other wildlife that depend on proper nutrition to survive and return to the wild.

What You’ll Do
As a Mouse Room volunteer, you’ll help maintain a clean, healthy, and enriching environment by:

• Cleaning and sanitizing mouse tanks and habitats
• Providing fresh food and water according to established nutrition guidelines
• Creating safe, engaging enrichment that encourages natural behaviors
• Monitoring animal health and reporting any concerns to staff
• Organizing supplies and helping keep the mouse room clean and efficient
• Following sanitation and biosecurity protocols to ensure the highest standard of animal care

Every spring and summer, hundreds of orphaned and injured baby songbirds arrive at Waldens Puddle Wildlife Center in need of expert care. As a Baby Songbird Care Team volunteer, you’ll play a vital role in helping these tiny patients grow strong enough to return to the wild.

This is a fast-paced, hands-on volunteer opportunity for compassionate individuals who enjoy working with animals and understand that even the smallest acts of care can have a tremendous impact on wildlife conservation.

What You’ll Do
As a Baby Songbird volunteer, you’ll assist with the daily care of nestlings and fledglings by:

• Preparing and providing species-appropriate diets according to detailed feeding protocols
• Hand-feeding baby birds on scheduled feeding rotations
• Cleaning and sanitizing nests, incubators, cages, and feeding equipment
• Monitoring bird behavior, appetite, and overall condition, reporting any concerns to staff
• Helping create safe, clean, and developmentally appropriate environments as birds grow
• Maintaining accurate records and following all sanitation and biosecurity procedures

Turtles are among the most commonly admitted patients at Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Center. Whether recovering from vehicle strikes, fishing hook injuries, habitat loss, or other challenges, these incredible reptiles require specialized daily care to heal and return to the wild.

As an Aquatic & Land Turtle Care Team volunteer, you’ll play an essential role in their rehabilitation by providing clean habitats, proper nutrition, and attentive daily care that supports their recovery.

What You’ll Do
As a Turtle Care volunteer, you’ll assist with the daily husbandry of both aquatic and terrestrial turtles by:

• Cleaning and sanitizing aquatic tanks, filters, and terrestrial enclosures
• Performing water changes and helping maintain healthy aquatic environments
• Preparing and providing species-appropriate diets and fresh water
• Monitoring turtle behavior, appetite, and overall condition, reporting any concerns to staff
• Creating enrichment and habitat enhancements that encourage natural behaviors
• Assisting with enclosure maintenance and organization of turtle care supplies
• Following all sanitation, biosecurity, and animal care protocols

Not every wildlife hero works directly with the animals. At Waldens Puddle Wildlife Center, our Support Services volunteers are the backbone of our daily operations. By keeping our facility clean, organized, and running smoothly, you help create a safe, healthy environment where injured and orphaned wildlife can recover.

If you enjoy staying active, take pride in a job well done, and want to make a meaningful difference behind the scenes, this volunteer opportunity is for you.

What You’ll Do
As a Support Services volunteer, you’ll help maintain the cleanliness and organization that are essential to wildlife rehabilitation by:

• Washing, drying, folding, and organizing laundry, including towels, blankets, and bedding
• Washing and sanitizing dishes, feeding utensils, and animal care equipment
• Sweeping, mopping, and disinfecting floors throughout the facility
• Emptying trash and recycling and helping maintain a clean workspace
• Restocking supplies and keeping treatment and care areas organized
• Assisting with general housekeeping projects as needed
• Following all sanitation and biosecurity protocols to help protect the health of our wildlife patients

Every wildlife success story begins with a rescue—and ends with a return to the wild. As a Wildlife Transport Team volunteer at Waldens Puddle Wildlife Center, you’ll play a critical role in both of these life-changing moments.

Whether you’re safely transporting an injured or orphaned animal from a rescuer to our rehabilitation center or helping return a recovered patient to its natural habitat, your time behind the wheel makes wildlife rehabilitation possible.

For many animals, you may be the first person who helps them receive lifesaving care—or the last person to witness their incredible journey home.

What You’ll Do
As a Wildlife Transport volunteer, you’ll help connect wildlife with the care they need by:

• Transporting injured, orphaned, or displaced wildlife from rescuers, veterinary clinics, or designated meeting locations to Waldens Puddle Wildlife Center
• Returning rehabilitated animals to approved release sites where they can safely resume life in the wild
• Safely securing and transporting wildlife according to established handling and transportation guidelines
• Communicating with staff and volunteer coordinators regarding pick-up and delivery schedules
• Maintaining a clean vehicle and transport carriers between trips
• Completing basic transport documentation and following all safety and biosecurity protocols

Do you enjoy building, repairing, and creating with your hands? Put your carpentry skills to work for wildlife by joining the Carpentry & Maintenance Team at Waldens Puddle Wildlife Center.

Every enclosure, nesting box, outdoor habitat, and facility improvement plays a vital role in the care and recovery of injured and orphaned wildlife. Whether you’re constructing new animal habitats, repairing existing structures, or helping maintain our campus, your craftsmanship will have a lasting impact on the animals we serve.

What You’ll Do
As a Carpentry & Maintenance volunteer, you’ll help improve and maintain our facilities by:

• Building and repairing wildlife enclosures, nesting boxes, and rehabilitation habitats
• Constructing enrichment items and custom animal care equipment
• Repairing fences, gates, shelving, doors, and other facility structures
• Assisting with woodworking projects and general building improvements
• Helping maintain outdoor spaces, walkways, and rehabilitation areas
• Organizing tools, materials, and workshop spaces
• Following all safety procedures and using tools responsibly

Every day, people across Tennessee turn to Waldens Puddle Wildlife Center for guidance when they find an injured, orphaned, or distressed wild animal. As a Front Desk & Wildlife Admissions volunteer, you’ll be the welcoming face and reassuring voice that helps both people and wildlife begin their journey toward recovery.

Whether you’re answering a concerned caller’s questions, greeting someone bringing in an injured animal, or helping identify a species, your kindness and professionalism make a lasting difference. Every interaction helps ensure wildlife receives the care it needs as quickly and safely as possible.

What You’ll Do
As a Front Desk & Wildlife Admissions volunteer, you’ll assist staff by:

• Greeting visitors and welcoming individuals bringing wildlife to the center
• Answering phone calls and providing guidance using established wildlife rehabilitation protocols
• Assisting with the identification of native wildlife species
• Helping gather information about each animal’s condition, location found, and circumstances of rescue
• Explaining the admissions process and offering compassionate support to members of the public
• Directing visitors, answering general questions, and assisting with administrative tasks
• Maintaining a clean, organized, and welcoming reception area
• Working closely with rehabilitation staff to ensure smooth communication and efficient admissions